Feedeeick ashley



UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK ASHLEY, OF YORK, N. Y.,'ASSIGNOR TO JAS. EDGAR AND J. E. GAVAN, OF NEW YORK CITY.

LETTER-Fl LE.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,274, dated August 21, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK ASHLEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Letter-File; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in thc art to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a le,77 so called, to be used for holding letters, bills, memoran dums, and for other analogous purposes, and is of that class having a wire hook, over the pointed end of which tits a socket in the end of another wire so xed upon the frame of the iile that it can be removed, so as to uncover the point of the hook for the purpose of inserting a letter, bill, or other memorandum thereon, or removing one or more therefrom, and again placed over the same; and this invention simply consists in a novel manner of arranging the movable portion or covering of the wire hook, whereby many important advantages are obtained, such as simplicity and cheapness, as will be obvious from the following detailed description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying plate of drawings, in which- Figure l is a front view of the letter-tile, and Fig. 2 a central vertical section, taken in the plane of the line x x, Fig. l.

Similar letters oi' reference indicate like parts.

A in the drawings represents the frame of the file, which may be made of wood, iron, or any other suitable material, and of the particular outline shown, or of any other which may be proper or deemed desired; B, a bent wire hook, secured by one end, C, to a plate, D, which, by means of a screw, E, is fastened to the frame A, the hook B being in a vertical position, and lmade with its upper end, F,

sharp or pointed G, a continuation 0r eXtension of the hook B, but separate from it, made of a similar-sized wire thereto, or nearly so,

with a suitable-shaped socket, a, in its lower.

end, to t over the pointed end F of the hook, and its upper end secured to a pla-te, H, placed and moving within the groove I, cut in the frame A, and extending in the direct-ion of its length, the upper end of which pla-te His bent upward and outward, so as to forni a suitable thumb-piece or handle, K, for sliding it within the said groove I; L, a plate secured by screws to frame A over the plate H, in which coveringplate L a slot, M, is made, through and in which the extension portion G of the hook plays and moves.

The inner end, N, of the sliding plate H is bent down, between which, in the cut-out portion or recess o of the frame A and the upper end of such recess o, is placed a spiral spin g, P, that, when the plate is moved or slid upward to open the hook or uncover its pointed end, is compressed, so that it' the hand is removed from the thumb-piece K of the said plat-e the reaction of the said spring will cause the extensionpiece G of the hook to again cover its pointed end, as is obvious without any further explanation.

I claim as new and des'ire to secure by Letters Patenti Securing the upper portion, G, of the hook to a plate, H, arranged in a suitable groove or.

guideway ofthe frame A, or its equivalent, in combination with a spiral or other suitable spring, arranged and operating together, substantially as and for the purpose described.

` FREDK. ASHLEY.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MGNAMARA, ALBERT W. BROWN. 

